Sino-Australian partnership shows path forward
A Sino-Australian strategic partnership was announced Tuesday during Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's China visit. The two sides agreed to hold annual meetings between the Chinese premier and Australian prime minister. A historic direct currency trading agreement between the two countries was also reached.
This is Gillard's second China visit since she took office as prime minister. Due to incidents like Rebiya Kadeer's visit to Australia, Gillard's first visit did not garner much applause from the Chinese public. Her second tour has been lauded by Australian media as finding "redemption" in China.
The relationship between China and Australia has always been complex. Canberra needs to find a balance between Washington and Beijing, though it has increasingly close economic ties with China. In 2011, Canberra stood by Washington regarding the US military presence in Australia, even though it knew clearly this wouldn't please Beijing. Culturally, Australia also positions itself as part of the Western world.
Canberra's "balance" tactic is generally seen as pragmatically collecting economic gains from Beijing while seeking security benefits from Washington.
Australia is also key to Beijing's diplomacy. China has strong demand for Australia's raw industrial materials. And in the so-called US-Japan-Australia strategic triangle, Australia has the fewest conflicts with Beijing.
It will be hard to remove Australian society's political prejudice against China in the short term, and political and ideological frictions between the two will remain. But it is possible to prevent Australia from siding with the US and Japan, and make it one of the most China-friendly countries in the Western world. The strategic partnership announced on Tuesday is the latest proof.
A friendly relationship with China is pivotal to Australia's core economic interests, which in terms of urgency are prioritized before its security interests. It directly influences the lives of Australians, and is a key area where the nation's political factions compete with each other.
Compared with Washington's security diplomacy in the Asia Pacific and Tokyo's value diplomacy, Beijing's advantage lies in its economic diplomacy. There is no single country in East Asia which is willing to sacrifice economic ties with China over geopolitical frictions.
Some Chinese feel dissatisfied with the "hot economics but cold politics" between China and other countries in the region. But we can also look at this from the opposite perspective. Given Beijing's strong economic leverage, few countries would choose to adopt a determined anti-China stance. Those involved in frictions with China would rather behave in a cautious and restrained way. This is already a strategic victory for Beijing.